Employees with Arthritis May Benefit From Walking While Working With a TrekDesk Treadmill Desk Regardless of Weight

Musculoskeletal Conditions

Employees with Arthritis May Benefit From Walking While Working With a TrekDesk Treadmill Desk Regardless of Weight

Summary: Fat vs Fit science unveiled another surprising study from scientists at Duke University. Their report, published in this month’s Arthritis & Rheumatism journal, found that exercise can relieve and prevent arthritic symptoms despite obesity levels and high fat diets.Duke scientists released a surprising finding in this month’s journal, Arthritis & Rheumatism, showing that exercise without significant weight loss or proper diet can still be beneficial to joints. Aware of the link between obesity and arthritis the study set out to find if exercise offered a benefit independent of diet and weight to arthritic knee sufferers. While not a prescription to ignore obesity, diet or inactivity, the scientists found that exercise could provide a significant protective benefit for arthritis sufferers. The challenge is finding a way to change sedentary unhealthy behaviors and encourage exercise. TrekDesk Treadmill Desks offer a potential solution.

The Duke study focused on two groups of male mice. Group One was fed a high fat diet, Group Two a normal diet. As expected the high fat group gained weight, processed glucose less efficiently and developed higher inflammatory molecules in the blood associated with osteoarthritis. However, when engaged in regular exercise regimens much of the inflammatory response was mitigated despite the extra weight and poor diet. Researchers dispelled the myth that extra weight exacerbates the development of arthritis independent of inactivity. Lead researcher, Dr. Timothy Griffin was surprised to find that the fat cells among the obese mice actually acted differently when exposed to regular intervals of exercise. While still producing inflammatory molecules associated with osteoarthritis the fat cells lost their dynamic ability to inflict tissue damage due to the benefits of exercise.

Too many Americans have simply given up on health believing that if they are not a perfect weight or body type that exercise is a frustrating waste of time. This study out of Duke reinforces that exercise has a number of benefits not totally understood regardless of an individuals weight or diet. We have to promote movement as the first step in our battle to restore health in America.

2/3 of American adults are overweight or obese at an annual cost of $150 billion (source: NIH) and 20% of American adults suffer from arthritis at a treatment cost (along with other rheumatic symptoms) estimated at $128 billion annually (source: Arthritis Foundation).

Walking has been proven to be an effective preventative measure against both conditions. Citing lack of time and motivation in an NIH study less than 5% of American adults exercise enough to maintain health minimums. TrekDesk Treadmill Desks hopes to change this dynamic.